Tom Dahlin/Getty Images(EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.) -- Minnesota Vikings fullback Jerome Felton was suspended for three games by the National Football League on Wednesday for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.

“We respect the league’s decision and Jerome understands it,” Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said in a statement.

The 27-year-old Felton will be eligible to return following the Vikings' showdown against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 22.

During this past offseason, Felton signed a three-year contract with the Vikings worth $7.5 million. He was already sidelined this preseason after undergoing an emergency appendectomy on Aug. 14.